Concrete block machine



May 12, 1959 Filed June 8. 1956 R; E. HEASLEY CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE v T g 1 1\ v M Q n Q Q Q Q k E m o 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 i LIE-El I ii-i E1 IIIIIE-E Fig./

Raymond E. Hensley INVENTOR.

.M y 1959 R. E. HEASLEY I 2,885,759.

CONCRETE BLQCK MACHINE Filed June 1956 '5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Raymond E. Heas/ey INVENTOR.

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May 12, 1959 R. E. HEASLEY CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE Filed June 8. 1956 :5 Sheets-Sheet? 0 w 0") I) O V D Q "Q q: & v

\- RaymandE. Hensley INVENTOR.

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United SW Pa en CONCRETE BLOCK MACHINE Raymond E. Heasley, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application June 8, 1956, Serial No. 590,155

1 Claim. (CI. 25-41) This invention relates to an apparatus for molding concrete building blocks or the like.

The primary object of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for efiiciently and substantially automatically molding cement or concrete building blocks of a suitable cementitious aggregate in a rapid and eflicient manner.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a block making apparatus which has novel means for removing a block from a mold box after the mix has been vibrated into at least a, partially set condition.

The construction of this invention features frame carrying guides. Associated with the guides but suitably positioned with respect thereto is a mold box. A support is movably mounted on the guides and adapted to be positioned so as to underly the mold box whereby a plate or pallet carried by the support can form the bottom of the mold box. Associated with the guides and vertically movable thereon is a pressure block which when it engages the mix in the mold box will cause the mix as well as the support to be lowered into such position that the pallet will engage the conveyor.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of a block making apparatus that is simple in construction, efficient in operation, durable, and which is adapted to eliminate a substantial amount of labor involved in the manufacture of building blocks.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this block making apparatus, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the block making apparatus;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional detail view of the invention,

Figure 3 is a front elevational view; and

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view as taken along the plane of line 44 in Figure 1.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral is used to generally designate the concrete block making machine comprising the present invention. This apparatus includes a frame 12 having a base 14, vertically extending members as at 16, 18, and suitable horizontally extending members 20, and 22. Of course, the frame 12 can be of any suitable shape as desired.

A brace 26 forming a portion of the frame 12 carries a plate 28 on which a motor 30 is mounted. Another motor 32 is mounted on the base 14. Standards as at 34 and 36 carry a shaft 38 on which sprockets 40 and 42 are mounted, the sprockets having the chains 44 and 46 forming a conveyor entrained thereover, the chains 44 and 46 being also entrained over sprockets 48 and 50 2,885,759 Patented M y 1%, .1959

mounted on a shaft 52 journaled in the brace 26 and a complemental brace 27. The conveyor including the chains 44 and 46 which are arranged in spaced relationship to each other are driven by means of a drive chain 54 driven by the motor 43 and entrained over another sprocket mounted on the shaft 52.

Mounted on the horizontal frame members 20 of the frame 12 is a material box 60 in which a pneumatically operated ram 62 is provided for urging a predetermined quantity of cementitious mix into a mold box 64 mounted adjacent the open end 66 of the material box 60. A hopper 68 is provided for receiving a large amount of the The ram including the pneumatic unit 62 may be double acting as desired.

The mold box 64 is carried by the frame 12 in association with and in alignment with the pairs of cylindrical guides 70, 72, 74 and 76. The mold box 64 is open at the bottom end thereof. 7

A movable support member 78 adapted to carry a pallet 80 is provided, the support member 78 including a plate 82 having a web 84 preferably integrally formed there with and having a lower attaching plate 86 provided with pairs of tubular collars 88, 90, 92 and 94 affixed thereto, the collars being slidably disposed about the guides 70, 72, 74, and 76.

In order to urge the support member 78 and hence the pallet 80 to a raised position so as to close the mold box 64 there are provided cables 98 which is secured at one end thereof to an eye 100 affixed to the support member 78 adjacent the lower supporting portion 86. The cable is also entrained over a pulley 102 mounted on the web 84 of the support member 78 and is entrained about a pulley 106 mounted on a frame member 16. A comparatively heavy counterweight 108 which is of greater weight than the support member 78 is attached to the free end of the cable 98 and serves to urge the support member 78 upwardly so that the pallet 80 forms the bottom of the mold box 64.

There is also slidably mounted for vertical movement with respect to the guides 70, 72, 74 and 76, by pairs of collars 110, 112, 114 and 116 attached to the upper portion 118 of a pressure block 120 the lower plate portion 122 of which is adapted to overlie the cementitious mix 124 disposed in the mold box 64.

As the motor 32 rotates, it rotates crank arms to which there is eccentrically connected as at 132 one end of a connecting rod 134 the other end of the connecting rod being pivoted as at 136 to the support member 120. Hence, as the motor 32 rotates, the crank arm 130 is rotated reciprocating the connecting rod 134 and hence the pressure block 120. When the pressure block 120 is pressed downwardly, the plate 122 engages the top surface of the mix 124 compacting it so that the mix which has heretofore been vibrated through the motor 130 and the vibrator arrangement 140, the compacted mass of the mix 124 will be pressed downwardly pushing down the pallet 80 and the support 84 until the pallet rests on the two chains 44 and 46, from whence the pallet and the now substantially set mix 124 is moved outwardly to the position as can be seen best in Figure 1.

It is to be noted that the pressure block 120 can pass through the mold box 64 and that the support member 78 can pass between the chains 44 and 46 even though the pallet 80 is wide enough to rest on the upper flight of these chains.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A concrete block machine comprising a rigid frame, a hopper carried by an upper portion of said frame, a conveyor carried by said frame in spaced relation below said hopper, a vertical guide assembly to one side of said hopper and including vertical posts straddling said conveyor, a mold box fixed within the confines of said guide assembly and having an open top and bottom, a horizontal material box communicating with said hopper and extending therefrom to present a discharge opening into said mold box, a ram reciprocable within said material box for filling said mold box, said conveyor being in the form of spaced, endless chains, a vertically elongate support having its lower portion slidably engaged on said guide posts below said conveyor and having its upper portion of dimensions to pass between said conveyor chains, counterbalance means carried by said frame and connected to said support for normally elevating the same toward said mold box, a pallet resting upon the upper end of said support and normally positioned, by reason of said counterbalance means, so as to form a bottom for said mold box, a vertically elongate pressure block having its upper portion slidably engaged with said guide posts and having its lower portion of dimensions to snugly pass through said mold box, means connected to said pressure block for moving the same between a raised position in which the lower end thereof is withdrawn from the mold box and a lowered position in which the lower end thereof is substantially coplanar with the bottom of said mold box, said pallet being positioned lengthwise across said conveyor chains and of a length greater than the spacing therebetween so as to be deposited, together with material sandwiched thereon between the support and pressure block, upon said conveyor chains when the pressure block is in its lowered position, said means for moving the pressure block including a connecting rod pivoted to said pressure block, a crank arm, said connecting rod being eccentrically pivoted to said crank arm whereby rotation of said crank arm oscillates the connecting rod, and means for rotating said crank arm, said conveyor also including a drive sprocket for each of said chains, a shaft to which said sprockets are afiixed, and drive means interconnecting said shaft and said crank arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 411,645 Dieckmann Sept. 24, 1889 466,763 Barnes Jan. 12, 1892 930,053 Diefendorf Aug. 3, 1909 1,476,532 Macllwaine Dec. 4, 1923 2,492,415 Coates et al. Dec. 27, 1949 2,519,994 Beyersdorfer Aug. 22, 1950 2,652,613 Warren Sept. 22, 1953 2,686,950 Zevely Aug. 24, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 192,307 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1923 

